Official 2018 Nadeshiko Japan Thread [R] - なでしこジャパン（英語スレッド）

NWSL update: 4 active Japanese players in the league in 3 different teams, and not even a single win yesterday! That's not all bad news, though:

- North Carolina Courage-Utah Royals 0-1. First loss in the league for the Courage! Happened at 90'+4'. They anyway keep leading, with a huge advantage over other teams. After last week's emergency when a lot of players were out on international duty, things got back to normal this week, so Yuri Kawamura sat on the bench all game. It will be difficult for her to break into the starters, but I expect some more minutes of playing time for her, as the season progresses and other players slowly wear down.
Highlights:




- Washington Freedom-Seattle Reign FC 0-0. Rapinoe missed a PK. Utsugi played all match, while Kawasumi sat on the bench. At this moment, it looks like Rumi is considered much more functional to Seattle team than Naho. With this draw, Orlando Pride caught up with the Reign at second place, although Seattle still have a game in hand to them.
Highlights:




Chicago Red Stars-Portland Thorns 1-1. This was a game to win for Chicago, if they wanted to keep their hopes alive for play-offs : they're now 6th, having played more games than most of their direct rivals. Yuki Nagasato scored again: she missed a PK but smashed the rebound in.
Highlights:

 

AAAAAAAH!!!! That's what happen to you when you have to work all day!!! (Grading meeting for me at school yesterday).

Sorry, Shark. A late 31st happy birthday.

 

I am aware that there are mixed feelings about Nagasato on this thread, but I guess this recent Japan Times article from a pair weeks ago will be an interesting reading for anyone anyway. Although we already knew many things, I guess the relationship with her father is one of the most relevant parts of the article.

 

Some sparse comments about yesterday's Nadeshiko League Cup and Challenge League results.

This win was less comfortable that it could seem, since Beleza's goals were scored at 81' and 86'.
The green machine is not as unplayable as they were in the last seasons.

It looks like Nojima Stella took their revenge for the 1-5 loss from last week on poor innocent Cerezo Ladies.
Minamino and Ueki, with yesterday's goals, now lead Nadeshiko League Cup's top-scorers' rankings with 5 goals each.

Not sure if everyone of you is aware that we can see the goals from this match (although mycujoo doesn't cover Nadeshiko League Cup in an extensive way, it looks like we get at least one match per match-day, probably the one with most goals, if these last two weeks are any indication... ); you can find the match here:
https://mycujoo.tv/video/nadeshiko-league?id=20388

Yoko Tanaka has cut her beautiful ponytail, but she stays beautiful herself, and still manages to have an assist (the one for Minamino's goal).
Cerezo's GK looked more than questionable in this match (see goals 1 and 5). Has she always been like this?

On a different note, does anyone know why INAC-Nagano, that was scheduled for this saturday, wasn't played? When the catch-up match is supposed to happen?

Interesting that both Okino's sisters are scoring these days. Maybe another Nagasato family story is coming?

Meanwhile, Mayu Ikejiri keeps up with her unreal average of more than one goal per match: we're currently at 13 out of 11 matches.
Will someone notice and sign her for a bigger club next season?

Ami Otaki!!! I feel like it's a special day everytime she scores.

Meanwhile, despite having a disastrous record in Nadeshiko League 2, Okayama Yunogo Belle take advantage of Iga's draw and take the lead of Nadeshiko League Cup Div. 2's Group B. Right now they could be relegated in Challenge League, but at the same time they have a shot at winning Nadeshiko League Cup Div. 2. Crazy!

 

Hi, Dax, I am grateful for your supervision here on this thread (and in general on the Japanese boards, I guess, although I don't use to read any other thread there) for all of these years, but If I didn't answer it's because in this moment of my life I am very busy at work and with other commitments and I barely have the time to come here every day and discuss Nadeshiko subjects. Adding a moderating duty to that would be really too much for me and I don't think I could honestly take that responsability on me: since I wouldn't have the time to actually moderate anything, it would basically be the same as leaving this board without any moderation.

On top of that, if I understood it correctly, it wouldn't be about the Nadeshiko thread only, but about the whole Japanese forum, and I don't use to ever read any other thread here (I read all the threads on the women's soccer forum instead). I am not interested in men's soccer (to the point that I am not following men's WC currently underway in Russia) and it would be weird for me to be forced to read men's soccer threads that I don't care about at all.

So, I am sorry but I don't think I can be of any help, nor I know anyone who could be willing to do that.

Edit: also, if I remember correctly, 4 or 5 years ago I received a warning for a dispute I had at the time with user @mumf, so I guess my profile is also not consistent with BS policy.

 

Ok, sorry. As you can see, I don't even know the ABC of how a moderator should act!

Don't worry too much about derailing the discussion here: we do derail all the time ourselves. Next time I'll need to do that, anyway, I'll make sure to contact you via PM.

 

Well, it's not available for me either, so I suppose it's geoblocked.

 

It seems like after all I've said last week, Belle won't be in the final of Nadeshiko League Cup Div. 2.